According to Mr. Jewett, after Tableau version 10.5, going forward, new versions of Tableau will be named based on the year of the release and the number of the release in that year. For example, the first release in this new pattern will be called 2018.1, and the second will be 2018.2, and so on. Tableau will continue to ship maintenance releases with the following convention: 2018.1.1, 2018.1.2, etc.

Why is Tableau Making This Change?

This new naming format better reflects Tableau’s approach to product delivery. As they have accelerated their speed of development, Tableau can now deliver new product capabilities at a faster pace. Instead of aligning their most impactful features for a larger .0 release, Tableau will deliver new features as soon as possible. This pattern of numbering also aligns with the industry norm for cloud software and subscription licensing.

With this new version naming format, it will now be easier to know how current your version is relative to what’s likely been released. For example, let’s say it’s June 2018 and you were using Tableau 10.7. The old naming convention makes it hard to know how current the release is. Tableau 2018.1 gives you a better feel for the freshness of your software.

Tableau will continue to honor their support policies and provide regular maintenance release for older versions of Tableau, so you can choose to upgrade as frequently as it makes sense for your business.

To learn more and plan for upcoming releases follow the Tableau blog, check out their Coming-Soon page and join their pre-release program. For information on their latest release, check out their New-Features page and release notes.